Improvement in apparatus for curing meat



5.58. WHUM GgSQN BELL, Qsheeis-msheem.

Improvement in Apparatus for Cufng Mea'. No. 121,925, Pmmedec.19,is?1.

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IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR CURING MEAT.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,925, dated December 19, 1871.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GIBSON BELL, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on Smoke-Housesfor smoking various articles of food, as will non7 be described in the accompanying speciication.

The nature of my invention relates to improve ments on smoke-houses, made rire-proof and so light that they can be erected in any ordinary building without the need of any heavy foundation, as formerly required where smoke-houses of brick were used; also, in the employment of a heating-chamber surrounding the smoke-stack that leads in the smoke-house, for the purpose of drying and heating the air in the smoke-house, and finally in the construction of a new and original-shaped hook for hanging the article of food on that is to be smoked, as will now be fully shown and described.

On the drawing, Figure l is a partial outside view and longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a crosssection over the line A B ltaken on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the smokehouse, smoke-stack, and heating-chamber. Fig. 4 is a side view of the hook for hanging the articles of food on.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the drawing.

Smoke-houses heretofore made have been constructed either of brick wholly, or of wood, or wood and brick combined. When made of brick they required a very strong foundation to rest upon, and could only be erected in buildings made strong enough to support such a heavy structure. When made of wood they were not lire-proof, and could not be used in the neighborhood of other dwellings; whereas my improved smoke-house is both fire-proof and so light that it can be erected in any ordinary house or building without any danger of lire.

On the drawing, a a a is a frame of wood, of suitable size and strength, covered on the inside with a metallic sheeting, b b, as shown. Said metallic covering b b may be made of large or small sheets, riveted, soldered, cemented, or otherwise connected together so as to form a surface impregnable to smoke, sparks, Snc. The outer side of the frame-work a a a is covered with a bad conductor of heat, such as felt, paper, or suitable material, over which wooden boards c c c c are secured in any ordinary way. Between the metallic covering b b b and the non-conducting material d d exists an air-space, e e e, containing dead air-that is, stationary air-which is a very poor conductor of heat, and by which arrangement the heat in the smoke-house is still more confined and prevented from being conducted outside the smoke-house. Inside the walls of the smoke-house are attached slats fff, on which the cross-bars g g g are resting in the ordinary way. The articles of food to be smoked are hung on the cross-bars g g g by means of hooks It h h, as shown. The hooks h h are shown in Fig. 4, and differ from those now in use in this respect: that both ends t' 7c of the hook are on one and the same side of the hook, as shown; whereas those of old were bent in an S-form. The advantage l gain in using this my improved hook is that l get a better grip and purchase ou the hook when hooking it through the article to be smoked, and also, that the hooks will hang firmer on the cross-bars, as well as the articles of food that are to be smoked. The smoke-house is provided With one or more doors, l, hung on hinges, and made in the same manner as heretofore described in the construction of the walls of the smoke-house. The heat and smoke enter the smoke-house through a pipe, m, leading from the furnace n, as shown, and discharge through a chimney, o, at the top of the smoke-house. The articles of food, when first subjected to the heat and smoke from the furnace, evaporate or sweat 7 out water and damp gases, which, being heavier than the smoke and warm air, naturally fall and sink to the bottom of the smokehouse, thus prolonging the thorough smoking of the articles of food, and especially so at the lower Apart of the smokehouse. To prevent this grievous obstacle I surround the smoke-pipe m with a larger pipe, p, that iits closely on the furnace n at its lower end, as shown. The object of this secondary heating-pipe p is to allow the damp gases in the smoke-house to sink down in the pipe p and rise up again nearest to the circumference of the smoke-pipe m, in a direction as indicated by the arrows on Fig. 3, by which arrangement a continuous stream of damp air or gases is conducted down in the pipe p, and after being heated therein is allowed to rise up again in the smoke-house and thus accelerate the smoking of the articles in the smoke-house.

to Work to satisfaction, and I have found that l can produce a better article, and do it quicker and more thorough, than I vould do without it. A damper, q, is placed in the smoke-pipe m ior tion, and operation of my invention, I Wish to secure hy Letters Patent, and claim- 1. In combination with a metallic smoke-house, b, the dead-air chambers c e e, and non-conducting material d d, and frame-Work a a a, for the purpose set forth and described.

2. The construction and arrangement of the the purpose of closing:r the smoking when the ari smoke-pipe nl, surrounded by the heater j), in

ticles in the smoke-house are smoked enough. A c0nductor,1', is in open communication with the i smoke-pipe m below the damper-q, as shown. The pipe 1' is also provided with a damper, S, by which arrangement the smoke can be conducted partly to the smoke-house I and the pipe r loading' to another smoke-house, or to one of them alone, as may be desirable. At some convenient place on the pipe p l place a small door, i, or inlet for fresh air to the smoke-house, as ma)Y occasionally, l from time to time, be required. y Having thus described the nature, coustruccombination with a smoke-house, for the purpose ot' heating and drying the damp air descending' from a smoke-house, as fully set forth and described.

3. The improved hook h for hanging articles of food to be dried or smoked, constructed in a manner as herein fully set forth and described.

XVILLIAM GIBSON BELL.

Witnesses:

WM. W. HUToHrNsoN, ALBAN ANDRN. (58) 

